This invention relates to systems for surveillance in the urban environment and other land location sites that use land vehicles for mobility and for blending with the environment. The new land vehicle surveillance systems may have pan-tilt-zoom cameras with small profiles mounted in optimum field of view and low external detection locations in a land vehicle.
Surveillance systems and vehicles may be known for both land and air vehicles for use by law enforcement agencies and by the military. Land based vehicles may have video and voice detection and recording equipment that may include use of computers for controlling the surveillance equipment. Currently available land vehicle systems may have bulky video cameras mounted on platforms with rotatable mounts to change the field of view for purpose of observation and surveillance. Such systems may often be positioned in the rear portion of sport utility vehicles (SUV), minivans, vans and the like. Due to the size, elevation location, and number of video cameras with video and voice equipment used along with support equipment, for example, supplemental air conditioning and electric power equipment, the rear portion of a vehicle may not allow seating of passengers or surveillance personnel other than in awkward, cramped locations.
Smaller video cameras may be located in the front of a vehicle on a dash board upper surface or a rear view mirror location to monitor for approaching persons at the vehicle front. However, these cameras may have relatively low power video lenses with limited zoom capability in available surveillance land vehicles. Monitor or display equipment and controls such as joy sticks may be located in the rear portion of surveillance vehicles as may be a computer making it difficult or impossible for a vehicle operator or driver to use the system while operating the vehicle. Also, depending on the size of the land vehicle and the surveillance support equipment, it may be difficult for surveillance personnel to operate the equipment while the vehicle is moving.
Currently available land vehicle systems primarily utilize cameras positioned to the rear of the vehicle, limiting the available surveillance field of view to the rear portion of the vehicle, causing the operator to find optimum parking for the vehicle in order to obtain the correct field of view for the subject under surveillance. This is problematic in most urban areas due to limited available parking spaces. Other systems employ a roof mounted periscope type surveillance camera that is more visible to someone external to the vehicle.